A Few Clouds and 89° F

I heard on television recently that statistics show fewer people are flying because of airline dissatisfaction. What gave them the clue? It seems that everyone I know who has flown to and from a destination has a horror story to tell. Cancelled flights, surly personnel and squashed-in seating seem to be standard today.

Years ago, flying was almost a pleasure and you very rarely heard tales of long delays and missing baggage. People checked their luggage and boarded the plane with small carry-on bags. Now, you have passengers with gigantic “carry-on” bags, which they’re determined to fit in the overhead compartment. After struggling with the bag and elbowing everyone nearby in the head, these inconsiderate passengers reluctantly give up and the poor flight attendant attempts to force the bag, finally surrendering and placing the bag elsewhere on the plane.

Through my years of flying, two incidents stand out. The first was before a flight to New York from St. Maarten. A yuppie lawyer and his wife neglected to confirm their return flight and were told there was no room for them on the plane. After extensively arguing and after delaying the flight for an hour, the couple lie down in front of the plane and the police were summoned. The airline’s solution? The obnoxious duo was put in first class. The other passengers were so relieved to be on our way that no one said a word, even though the airline was rewarding the offenders.

The worst incident was what my husband and I call the “flight from hell.” We were supposed to take a 10 a.m. flight from JFK Airport in New York to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a Caribbean cruise.

When we arrived at the airport early, we were informed that passengers from our scheduled flight could take an 8 a.m. flight. Happy to be arriving two hours earlier, we boarded the plane, and then the nightmare began.

We were ready to take off when a passenger in first class demanded to get off the plane.

Unfortunately, an armed door was opened and the emergency chute shot out. First, we were told that equipment had to be fixed. An hour later, we were told that equipment had to be replaced. We sat on that ill-fated plane for 5-½ hours and not once did the pilot say the airline was sorry.

The nightmare continued. When we finally reached the San Juan Airport, there was nowhere for the plane to land, so we circled the airport for two hours. By this time, the passengers were furious, starving and planning a revolt. We had eaten nothing since the breakfast on the plane, and there was no other food available. We also were concerned that the cruise ship would leave without us, since we expected to arrive at 1 p.m. and it was now after 8 p.m.

After finally getting into a taxi, we headed to the ship in the pouring rain. Fifteen minutes into the trip, the driver got a phone call to pick up a couple of people at the airport. Despite our pleas, he turned around and returned to the airport.

Needless to say, we weren’t in the best of moods when we finally boarded the ship. We walked into the dining room dirty, bedraggled, exhausted and angry. Naturally, we stood out from the crowd which was clean, well-dressed and enjoying a gourmet dinner. We didn’t complain to the airline because we vowed never to fly on it again.

Our only consolation was that the airline went out of business shortly afterward.

T&D Correspondent Shirley Upton can be reached by e-mail at writer@ntinet.com.

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